Spring Turkey

Mark Belknap said:
View attachment 75754This morning wrapped up my 50th turkey season with my 3rd VA gobbler this spring. It’s been an interesting one. Never heard a gobble all week while hunting. Called in 6 different longbeards and several jakes. Some strutted right in and others came slinking in. Keep after them Henrick!!
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I'll tell you, Virginia was probably the hardest state I ever hunted. Saw and heard birds every day. But never filled my tag.

I was able to help an older friend of mine kill a bird on our last day there.

So that was satisfying.
 
tod osier said:
Turkey can see all colors of light (and more) than you can. There is no secret color that they can't see. Just go without a light or don't use a light near them.

I can't say I'm on board with 1/2 of the things Chip has listed as fact, I'd say take all strict rules with a significant grain of salt.
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Read it again...never said anything was fact, secret or strict rules but when someone asks for tips I give em and got no problem killin turkeys across 3 states for the last 40yrs. Good luck and thanks for your insights.
 
Chip M. said:
I prefer RED but Green is good too. As for NO LIGHT I can only say I would prefer a quiet entry in the dark to one when I can be seen from the limb.
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Most times we don't try to crowd the roost. One hundred yards is plenty close and if you must use a light to remain quiet, cast it at the ground instead of in front of you. My wife likes to see where she is walking and this was the compromise that we agreed upon and it seems to work.
RM
 
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Chip M. said:
I prefer RED but Green is good too. As for NO LIGHT I can only say I would prefer a quiet entry in the dark to one when I can be seen from the limb.
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Again, turkey can see red or green light just as well as you can and as well as a similar intensity white light. There is no magic there.
 
tod osier said:
Again, turkey can see red or green light just as well as you can and as well as a similar intensity white light. There is no magic there.
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One of the first things that Ben Rogers Lee told my cousin and I was. "Never ever use a light. Use your night vision." Thank goodness my night vision has been good, but like all things ya gotta work at it to get it, and keep it. Yes I do carry a good light as a "just in case emergency tool", like my cell phone. Off until it's very much needed. I have had some very interesting encounters with critters walking into the dark Spring woods that I surely would never of had with a light. Those I don't forget. Very primal in everyway and a good part of hunting for me.
 
For those that are interested google Roger Latham.

On more than one occasion Mr. Latham stayed at a hunting camp on German Hill near Tionesta, PA. The camp was owned by a very good friend of my uncle Frank and in the 1960's and 1970's I was at that camp often. Not that many miles away is Game Lands 47 where the PA Game Commission worked hard to bring back the Eastern Wild Turkey. Portions of that GL were closed to hunting for many years. Once it was open to hunting I got to know that area and terrain very well like so many other places in the hills of PA. The outdoors lifestyle has been very good to me in so many ways. Thank God.

My hope is that those new to the outdoor hunting & fishing lifestyle can enjoy it as much as I have.

VP
 
My night vision isn't good enough to save me from the water moccasins I have almost stepped on in the predawn times on my way to my chosen turkey spot. I like green lights because for some reason the snakes show up better for me than with white lights....not sure how red compares since it has been so long since I have had a red light. I have had turkeys fly away from their roost even when I had no lights on when I walked under them and the only light was a very bright full moon. So, a light is a tool that saves me from potentially screwing up my morning before the turkeys even start gobbling. If my light scares the turkeys, it scares the turkeys. They don't usually go far.
 
jode hillman said:
It's been a tough opening week here in New Jersey. Bird numbers are definitely down and I had to travel outside my normal haunts to find a group of Toms I felt good about chasing.

I located some yesterday afternoon. And this morning they were not far from where I left them.

I was able to call the whole lot of them to the barrel and took a nice Tom.
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Great light on that bird! It really shows him off
 
So, a light is a tool that saves me from potentially screwing up my morning before the turkeys even start gobbling. If my light scares the turkeys, it scares the turkeys. They don't usually go far.
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(y) Being spooked, chased, or harassed is an everyday event for most wildlife. They get over it pretty quick. Even big old gobblers and bucks, when actively chasing girls with dumbass brain fully engaged.
 
Well I finally did it! It took seven seasons, and I couldn’t have asked for a cooler first turkey harvest experience.
Went to a farm with a buddy who had hoped to already have his tag filled so he could just focus on coaching me. That didn’t work out for him, so the plan was for us both to pull the trigger at the exact same time once we had two toms in front of us. I’d shoot the bird on the left, he’d shoot the bird on the right. Of course, that plan didn’t pan out.
After over an hour of hearing gobbles and clucks all around us, two jakes finally popped out right next to us and ran up to our decoys. He told me not to shoot. We were waiting for the toms. The jakes continued to harass the decoys, even when a real hen walked up. A few minutes later, a tom came in from our righthand side. I couldn’t see it, but my friend told me to shoot it as soon as it got in front of me. Of course, it started running full speed towards the jakes, which didn’t give me a very good shot. Next thing we knew, the pair of jakes were chasing the tom, and they sped by us at about 3 yards. Again, not a very good opportunity for a kill shot. As they ran away from us, I saw my buddy start to shoulder his gun. I knew what was coming, and without saying anything, I knew I had to kill the bird on the far left. We pulled our triggers simultaneously, and his bird (the tom) went down immediately. I knew I’d hit mine, but he kept running. He got out to about 40 yards before I could zero back in on him. I pulled the trigger again. He was down. It was only 7:10am.
Man, that was the longest, most exciting 1.5 hours of my hunting career. I can’t wait to try for another turkey again next week.IMG_0658.jpeg
 
Anybody hear about the jack wagon in Wisconsin? Taking his 3 y/o old and claiming the the 3 y/o used a 12g to shoot another youth hunter in the face and their mentor. Thats not a hunting accident its gross negligence.
 
MikeG said:
Anybody hear about the jack wagon in Wisconsin? Taking his 3 y/o old and claiming the the 3 y/o used a 12g to shoot another youth hunter in the face and their mentor. Thats not a hunting accident its gross negligence.
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A Wisconsin bobcat mistook a hunter for a turkey as well. You can't be too careful as your brain can cause you to see what you want to see.
RM
 
MikeG said:
Anybody hear about the jack wagon in Wisconsin? Taking his 3 y/o old and claiming the the 3 y/o used a 12g to shoot another youth hunter in the face and their mentor. Thats not a hunting accident its gross negligence.
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Ive never understood the rush to get kids behind the gun. Mine had to carry a BB gun and an empty single shot in the field before I trusted him to carry a loaded one. He hunted with me for a long time before he hunted Not only did I expect him to be safe, I expected him to appreciate that we were out there to end something’s life in order to feed ourselves.

It’s completely irresponsible to put a 3 year old in charge of a gun. I don’t believe for a minute that the kid handled or aimed that gun.

Technology (blinds, ultra-realistic/gobbler decoys, tripods, trail cameras, long range shooting, video games, etc) is replacing woodsmanship, patience, and calling and will be the death of turkey hunting. What happened to calling a bird inside of 40 yards while you try your best to melt into a tree?

These may not be popular opinions but they’re mine.
 
Michael McCord1 said:
Ive never understood the rush to get kids behind the gun. Mine had to carry a BB gun and an empty single shot in the field before I trusted him to carry a loaded one. He hunted with me for a long time before he hunted Not only did I expect him to be safe, I expected him to appreciate that we were out there to end something’s life in order to feed ourselves.

It’s completely irresponsible to put a 3 year old in charge of a gun. I don’t believe for a minute that the kid handled or aimed that gun.

Technology (blinds, ultra-realistic/gobbler decoys, tripods, trail cameras, long range shooting, video games, etc) is replacing woodsmanship, patience, and calling and will be the death of turkey hunting. What happened to calling a bird inside of 40 yards while you try your best to melt into a tree?

These may not be popular opinions but they’re mine.
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Michael,
I wholeheartedly agree! Kids these days want for nothing and if parents really want their children to follow in their footsteps it would behoove then to let them want it first. I remember being left behind as a young child when my dad would go grouse hunting. I wanted to go with him so bad that I would cry. Now, I'm a hunt'in fool! And yes, it's OK to start out with a BB gun!
RM
 
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